In 1979 Vladimir Spivakov, an outstanding virtuoso violinist, with a group of his friends and artistic associates, mostly winners of international music competitions, as well as soloists and section leaders of the best Moscow symphonic and chamber orchestras, founded the “Moscow Virtuosi” Chamber Orchestra. Thus, the highest performance standard was set up from the very moment of the orchestra’s establishment, which justified its claim for a rather ambitious, at a first glance, title of “Moscow Virtuosi.”

Launching artistic groups at an artist’s initiative was by no means a common practice in the Soviet Union of those years. Only governmental bodies could authorize the establishment of professional theaters, orchestras and museums. It took Spivakov and his friends several years to prove to the authorities that the orchestra’s professional level and potential were of an order of magnitude higher than those of a great majority of State orchestras that boasted of marvelous conductors and musicians able to glorify any European or US orchestra in the 70s and 80s.

Only in 1983 did the “Moscow Virtuosi” Orchestra gain the official status and the entailed governmental financial support for its performance activities.

The same years witnessed an arduous, but joyful consolidation of virtuosi musicians, each being a bright personality, into a world-class, finely-organized musical ensemble with its own performance style and a huge repertoire comprising Bach and Schnittke. The process is not completed up to now, but even in the mid 1980s the main performance and artistic features of the orchestra became evident.

A really European manner of ensemble performance, concern for tiny details and nuances, solicitous and creative interpretation of author’s concepts, bright artistic talent and love both for the pieces performed and for the audience make the “Moscow Virtuosi” Orchestra so different from many other chamber orchestras. The orchestra stands away from aesthetic any snobbery and arrogant attitude to listeners, some of whom might have come to the concert quite by chance. To excite the audience emotionally and to enthrall intellectually every listener, even an ignorant one, to endow him with the pleasure of enjoining music masterpieces, to evoke the desire to come to chamber music concerts again are considered by the “Moscow Virtuosi” as the most important goals.

Ever since the chamber orchestra was founded, Vladimir Spivakov, an outstanding violinist and conductor, benefactor and prominent social figure, has been its artistic director, conductor and soloist. Thanks to Maestro Spivakov and the two decades of his activities for the sake of the orchestra, the “Moscow Virtuosi” is now undoubtedly within the best chamber orchestras of the world with their own grateful audiences everywhere and is enjoying a high reputation that has been acquired by years of persistent and hard work.

Since 2003 the “Moscow Virtuosi” Chamber Orchestra is permanently located and rehearses at the Moscow Performance Arts Centre which was recently built and opened on 26 of December 2002. Next year the “Moscow Virtuosi” Chamber Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary and held the world tour.